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Thursday, January 24, 2013

If you ask around, it seems to be the
consensus among fans and insiders alike that The Rock will defeat CM Punk for
the WWE championship at the Royal Rumble on Sunday, ending Punk’s title reign
at 434 days and setting up a WrestleMania rematch with John Cena.

Regardless of the outcome, Punk’s reign
is the sixth longest in the 50-year history of that title, and combined with
his first 2011 reign, Punk ranks 10th in total days as WWE champion. To
understand how much of a feat that is in this day and age, consider the length
of title reigns in the other five active WWE titles:

• The WWE World championship has changed
hands five times since Survivor Series 2011 and nine times overall in 2011
alone. Triple-H and Batista are the only two men to hold the World title for
even half as many consecutive days as Punk has held the WWE title.

• Since Punk’s reign began, the
Intercontinental and U.S. championships have changed hands a combined 11 times.
And in WWE history, only one man has held either one of these titles longer
than Punk has: The Honky Tonk Man. If you count the NWA/WCW version of the U.S.
title, that number jumps to a whopping two, thanks to Lex Luger’s 500-plus day
reign in 1989-90.

• The WWE tag team championship has
changed hands three times since Survivor Series 2011. The only reign that
exceeded Punk’s belongs to Demolition, who enjoyed a 478-day run between
WrestleMania 4 and July 1989.

• The Divas title has changed hands four
times since November 2011, and outside of the Fabulous Moolah’s 28-year
stranglehold on the title, only three women (Trish Stratus, Sensational Sherri,
and Rockin’ Robin) have held either the Women’s or Divas title longer than Punk
had held the WWE title.

No,
Punk will never eclipse Bruno Sammartino’s 2,803-day reign, but that was in a
different era. If CM gets past The Rock on Sunday and announces he’s taking aim
at the all-time mark, after we stop laughing, we’ll discuss that in a future
blog.

Wednesday, January 23, 2013

1) A towering, fence-like structure, designed to prevent all
outside interference and keep the action inside the ring

2) A devastating, no-holds-barred contest meant to be the final
chapter in a bitter rivalry

The steel cage match between John Cena and Dolph Ziggler on
the 20th anniversary edition of Raw was
not a steel cage match. Not as far as I'm concerned. For starters, outside interference
factored in heavily—with Big E Langston spending almost as much time inside the
ring as either competitor. Even worse, though, was the fact that this contest
will ultimately be seen as just another standoff in the ongoing Cena/Ziggler
feud.

Don't get me wrong: The match was entertaining. Cena and
Ziggler have gotten to know each other quite well in recent months, and this
reality made it difficult for either to actually eke out a win. The creative
ways in which each man tried to best the other made for one engaging spectacle.
Still, the anticipation for Cena vs. Ziggler in a steel cage was almost
nonexistent. There was little advance promotion for the match, and nothing
about its execution indicated that this feud had reached its zenith. The lack
of a slow build served to render the cage more of an expensive prop, and less a
meaningful setting for a major showdown.

The brutality of the cage was also understated. And sure,
the structure isn't as unforgiving as the Elimination Chamber, nor as
foreboding as Hell in a Cell. Despite this, cage matches have played an
important part in the evolution of pro wrestling. That's why it's such a shame
that the classic steel cage match seems to carry such little weight in the
modern WWE landscape. Too often, cage matches are invitations for multiple
villains to attack a lone fan favorite in an enclosed setting. (Some wrestlers
seem to be able to break into cages more easily than wolves get into straw
houses.) Other times, inferior competitors are launched through cage walls and
doorways onto arena floors. In other words, these aren't the cage matches of
Starrcade or Saturday Night's Main Event.

None of this is meant to suggest that there aren't still
fitting environments for the biggest WWE feuds to be resolved. If anything,
structures like Hell in a Cell and the Elimination Chamber have carried the
spirit of the “classic” cage into the new millennium. If we are going to see
another cage match on Raw, though, I'd
like to know about it a few weeks in advance. It should seem like a big deal. The doors should be bolted
shut, with ringside officials swallowing all the keys to prevent outside
interference. Reinforce the cage walls, so that an airborne grappler can't fall
through them, “accidentally” winning the match. If these contests are going to
continue to exist, it's important to honor the legacy of the cage—a structure that
allows wrestlers to settle their differences with an air of finality, free from
runaway competitors and meddling managers. This goes for Raw, TNA's annual Lockdown show, or any old event with a fence around the ring
for a match or two. Make the cage count, or don't bother.

Tuesday, January 8, 2013

Last night, The Rock
and CM Punk had their first face-to-face confrontation, leading to their WWE
championship match at the Royal Rumble. Punk promised to keep his championship.
Rock promised to lay the smack down on Punk’s candy-ass. Punk ended up eating a
Rock Bottom to end the segment.

It was an intense and
entertaining exchange that kicked the hype for the Rumble into high gear, but
who was the real winner of this opening salvo of what promises to be a
tremendous battle?

PRESENCE: The Rock looked bigger, stronger,
and healthier than ever. He made Punk look physically puny in comparison; that
shot about Punk looking like “Popeye on crack” had a ring of truth to it. Of
course, Punk had competed in a grueling TLC match against Ryback less than 45
minutes earlier, while Rock was fresh and rested. Rock has also been living the
good life in Hollywood as Punk has been globetrotting in defense of the WWE
title. But, side by side, Rock dwarfed Punk and made it look like he could eat
him for breakfast. WINNER: The Rock

CROWD REACTION: The Rock got the big ovation we all
expected, but it wasn’t quite at the same level as it was a year ago at this
time. He made the millions (and millions) of fans chant on command, but the
“cookie-puss” chants petered out quickly. There’s no doubt that Rock is a
mega-star, but the reception he received was slightly lacking. Rock even seemed
surprised by the quiet crowd at one point. Rock got a better reaction than
Punk, but the difference wasn’t as much as you might expect. WINNER: The Rock

INTENSITY: Rock raised the eyebrow, coined
some new phrases to trend on Twitter, and talked about where he would place his
size-15 boot. Punk stared back with steely eyes. Rock got cutesy and did his
tried and true shtick, and Punk called him out on it. Perhaps the best line of
the night was when Punk promised he would “kick The Rock’s ass” every time Rock
deigned to make an appearance in WWE. Rock did a routine; Punk delivered
passion. WINNER: CM Punk

MATERIAL: Punk’s “pipe bomb” wasn’t quite as explosive
as his infamous 2011 screed, but it had a few moments (particularly when he put
over Tyson Kidd and Daniel Bryan, and wondered why the millionaires in the back
don’t share any of that cash with the fans). The Rock seemed off his game. He
made the standard jokes and pushed the TV-PG limits a little, but he came off
like he was taking Punk lightly and disrespecting the WWE title in the process.
Rock even tossed the belt out of the ring at the end of the promo. I don’t
think Punk would ever do that. WINNER: CM Punk

DELIVERY: CM Punk was spot-on for the entire
20-plus minutes he was out for his promo. He was passionate, condescending,
well spoken, and smarmy. He brought his A-game. The Rock stumbled a few times
(like when he couldn’t remember what to call Popeye’s pipe). Hollywood has
affected “The Great One.” He’s become reliant on memorizing his lines. Punk, on
the other hand, can improvise with the best of them, because every word that
comes out of his mouth comes from his heart.

WINNER: CM Punk, by a split decision. Punk
came out of this first confrontation looking a bit better than his Rumble
opponent. Rock still has size, strength, and superstardom on his side, but Punk
more than held his own. It wouldn’t surprise me if Punk actually came out of the
Rumble as the fan favorite.